Organic fuel brick

ABSTRACT

Ecologically friendly organically composed fuel products are presented whose composition includes, but is not limited to, ingredients: 58 to 60 percent decomposed straw, 38 percent horse or cow manure, two percent hay mixture from various blends used as feed, and two percent straw dust. The above ingredients are subjected to a number of processing steps with the end product being a hydraulically compressed fuel product, such as a brick, block, briquette, blank, pellet, etc., dried to a less than 10 percent moisture content. Eco-friendly organic fuel products may be created from other ingredients than those described herein could undergo the disclosed process to produce other types of fuel items, both organic and inorganic, with the ingredients comprising wood chips, other kinds of animal manure, and wood chips.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation Application and claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/655,716; filed on Jan. 6, 2010,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to methods and processes for takingorganic and inorganic material and converting them into eco friendlyfuel blocks and pellets, and more particularly pertains to a process forcreating ecologically friendly organically composed fuel bricks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The search for new energy sources is an ongoing concern for all humanityas concerns mount over the rate of depletion of oil reserves and otherenergy sources. Coal, natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear, and hydrogenhave numerous hurdles to overcome regarding safety, reliability, and thesafe disposal of waste product. The exploitation of new energy sourcesgoes hand in hand with the problem of how to dispose of—and potentiallyreuse, recycle, or usefully convert—all of the waste material andproduct, both organic and inorganic, produced by humans, animals, andcommercial, agricultural and industrial activities. As the protectionand preservation of the environment is of paramount concern, the reuseand recycling of all manner of waste product—human and non-human;organic and inorganic—is being undertaken at all levels of society,whether it is personal, occupational, or governmental.

One of the most common and overlooked sources of waste and potentialenergy is livestock manure which can include, but is not limited to,manure produced by cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry etc. Suchwaste amounts to millions of pounds per year, and it must be disposed ofin environmentally safe and governmentally approved methods. Witheconomic circumstances squeezing agricultural establishments, especiallysmall farms, along with the increased costs and complexities ofappropriately disposing of all the waste materials and products,agricultural establishments and farmers are investigating ways toconvert the waste material into a usable product, such as usable fuelthat is both eco friendly and can generate profit for the farmer. Theprior art discloses a variety of methods and processes for convertingvarious types of organic and inorganic material into usable fuelproduct.

For example, the Jackman patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,755) discloses amethod and an apparatus for handling refuse, using waste and treatingraw sewage wherein the material is processed into a source of energy.

The Beningson et al. patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,903) discloses anapparatus for disposal of solid wastes and recovery of fuel producttherefrom through the conversion of the organic fraction of such wastesto fuel by the recovery of the constituents of the inorganic fashion.

The Schulz patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,119) discloses briquettes of aspecified geometry and composition that are produced to serve as feedmaterial or “burden” in a moving-burden gasifier for the production of asynthesis or fuel gas from organic solid waste materials and coal.

The Nielsen patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,749) discloses a method for themanufacturing of fuel briquettes from selected components of garbagethat are comminuted and combined with coal dust.

The Lindemann patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,365) discloses a method ofproducing briquettes from organic waste products by the use of highpressure to produce sterilized fuel briquettes of high heating values.

The White patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,223 B2) discloses a fuel pelletthat is produced by the combination of organic waste material with abinder obtained by direct liquefaction and/or fast pyrolysis of biomassmaterial.

The Miller patent (U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,425 B2) discloses a method ofdewatering coal tailings and slurries and removing contaminantstherefrom.

The Cullen patent application publication (U.S. patent pub. No. US2007/0006526 AI) discloses fuel pellet briquettes manufactured frombiomass and recovered coal slurries.

The Philipson patent (U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,691 B2) discloses a processfor the conversion of municipal solid waste to combustible pellets ofhigh fuel value.

Nonetheless, despite the ingenuity of the above apparatuses, methods,and processes, there remains a need for a process of creating an organicfuel brick from waste matter and organic material readily onagricultural and livestock farms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprehends a method and process of manufacturingeco friendly organic fuel blocks, bricks, briquettes, blanks, or pelletsfrom organic material that primarily includes straw, cattle, sheep,goats, poultry and horse manure. The finished fuel product, in any ofthe above forms, is a mixture composed by weight or volume of thefollowing elements, components, or ingredients: at least 58 to 60percent decomposed straw, at least 38 percent horse or cow manure, twopercent hay mixture of various blends that is dry and used as feed, andtwo percent straw dust that is from material that has been pounded on byanimals. The mixture can vary up or down—plus or minus—by up to sixpercent per each ingredient. The finished product—the organic fuelbrick—is hydraulically compressed to a solid configuration weighingapproximately two pounds, plus or minus several ounces, and whosedimensions are at least two and one-half inches wide, three and one-halfinches high, and six inches in length. The above process could also beused in the creation of fuel bricks, briquettes, blanks, or pelletsincorporating wood chips and coal slurry material. Thus, both organicmaterial and/or inorganic material, though not necessarily mixedtogether, can be subjected to the above process and method for producingfuel products.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a process and amethod for manufacturing an organic fuel brick that is renewable andreduces the carbon footprint on the earth;

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a processand a method for manufacturing an organic fuel brick that is ecofriendly and is made from readily available natural resources;

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide aprocess and a method for manufacturing an organic fuel brick that burnsclean and puts carbon in the ash to be deposited back into the ground;

It is still yet another objective of the present invention to provide aprocess and a method of manufacturing an organic fuel brick that avoidsthe formation of creosote in the chimney and reduces any risk of fire;

It is still yet a further objective of the present invention to providea process and a method of manufacturing an organic fuel brick thateliminates all work from splitting wood, chain saw, use of gasoline, andthe problems that arise from wood stacked in the home, the attractionand potential infestation of bugs, and of the labor associated with theabove;

A still further objective of the present invention is to provide aprocess and a method of manufacturing an organic fuel brick that can bemanufactured in pellet form for pellet stoves;

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a processand a method for manufacturing an organic fuel brick that can be usedfor fertilizer in pots, directly in a garden, and with one of thecomponents helping to keep moisture around plants thereby reducing theneed to water the plants;

Still yet another objective of the present invention is to provide aprocess and a method for manufacturing an organic fuel brick that iswholly organic and eliminates any need for the use of chemicals of anykind; and

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a processand a method for manufacturing an organic fuel brick that whenmanufactured and configured in pellet form can be used in a variety offlora that require nutrients.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a representative schematic diagram or flowchart of the processand method of manufacturing an organic fuel brick illustrating themethod and processing steps of converting the natural materials to ausable fuel item;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the process and method of manufacturingan organic fuel brick illustrating the configuration of the finishedproduct, i.e., a fuel briquette;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the process and method of manufacturingan organic fuel brick illustrating a configuration of the finishedproduct in the form of a cylindrical pellet; and

FIG. 4 is a list of the ingredients used in the process and method ofmanufacturing an organic fuel brick.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 is a method and/or a process 10 for producingecologically friendly organically composed fuel bricks, blocks,briquettes, blanks, pellets, etc., which in the preferred embodiment ofthe end or final product is the fuel brick 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or,in an alternative embodiment, the end or final product for the fuel itemcan be in cylindrical pellet 14 form or configuration as shown in FIG.3.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the raw organic materials 15, thecomponents or ingredients of the present invention that comprise thefuel brick are as follows and specifically set forth in the table 16denoted FIG. 4: by weight the fuel brick 12 is comprised of 58 to 60percent straw 18 that has been hammered, cleaned of all seeds, andheated to a temperature of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit, thendecomposed for a time period of at least 45 days; 38 percent animalmanure 20 preferably, but not exclusively limited to, horse or cowmanure that is removed from stalls and kept dry under cover and mixedwith straw compound; two percent hay 22 mixture from various blends thatis dry and used as feed; and two percent straw dust 24 derived frommaterial that has been pounded on by animals such as the aforementioned.It should be noted that the components or ingredients that comprise themixture that form the fuel brick 12 can vary up or down by approximatelysix percent plus or minus.

When the process 10 is completed the ingredients that compose the fuelbrick 12 are now dried to less than 10 percent of their moisturecontent. In general, the ingredients or components are run through amedium to a fine grinder 34 in a tube system that then feeds theingredients or components—the material 15—to a hopper that then feedsthe material through to a piping system that is computer controlled.This allows enough raw materials—the ingredients or components—to enterthe chamber that forms the fuel block or brick 12. This step iselectronically controlled by an eye system. The material is thenhydraulically compacted by at least 22,000 plus pounds of pressurethereby creating a block or brick 12 that weighs approximately twopounds plus or minus several ounces. The configuration or dimensions ofthe end product—the ecologically friendly organic fuel brick 12—includethe dimensions of being at least six inches long, two and one halfinches wide, and three and one half inches high.

More specifically, with reference to FIG. 1, the process or method 10for creating or producing the organic fuel brick 12 from theaforedescribed raw organic materials 15 includes the following steps.First, the material 15, i.e., natural field straw 18, hay 22 and strawdust 24 is collected and then the material 15 is deposited in thegrinder 26 to undergo a grinding process. Next, the material 15comprising the natural field straw 18, hay 22 and straw dust 24 passesto a cleaning chamber 28 for cleaning and to undergo the removal ofscales and cleaned of all seeds, etc. From there the aforesaidingredients comprising the material 15 passes to the hammering process30 and thence to a heating process 32 where the material 15 is heated toa temperature of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The material 15 thenpasses to a second grinder 34 having a mixing and grinding chamberwhereupon manure 20, either horse or cow manure, that has beendecomposed or composted for a time period of at least 45 days is alsoadded to the field straw 18, hay 22 and straw dust 24. It should benoted that the percentage amounts of each ingredient or component of themix of material 15 composed of straw 18, manure 20, either horse or cow,hay 22 and straw dust 24 can vary up or down by at least six percentplus or minus

The material 15 that now includes the manure 20 is conveyed to a tumbledryer 36 that dries the material 15 to below less than ten percent ofits original moisture content. From there the material 15 is conveyed toa collection chamber 38 and then the material 15 is conveyed to a hopperfeeder 40. The hopper feeder 40 feeds the material 15 to a hydraulicbriquette machine 42 that compresses or compacts the material 15 by theapplication of 22,000 plus pounds of pressure thereby creating theorganic fuel block 12 having the dimensions as aforestated. It is alsopossible to configure the hydraulic machine 42 to compress and compactthe material 15 to create the cylindrical pellet 14 as shown in FIG. 3.

While various changes in the details, steps, and components that havebeen described may be made by those skilled in the art within theprinciples and scope of the invention herein illustrated and defined inthe appended claims; therefore, the invention has been shown anddescribed herein in what is believed to be the most practical andpreferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures can be madetherefrom within the scope of the invention, and that are not to belimited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be accorded the fullscope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent processes,methods, steps, and end products.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for creating an organic fuel productfrom raw organic material, the process comprising: placing straw in afirst grinder for grinding; cleaning the ground straw by removing seeds;hammering the straw in a hammering process; heating the straw to atemperature of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit; providing the straw to asecond grinder for mixing and grinding; adding manure to the secondgrinder for mixing and grinding with the straw; providing the mixed andground straw and manure to a tumble dryer for drying the straw andmanure mixture to an amount that is less than ten percent of theoriginal moisture content of the straw; and providing the intermixedstraw and manure from the tumble dryer to a hydraulic press forcompacting and compressing the intermixed straw and manure therebycreating an organic fuel product.
 2. The process for creating theorganic fuel product of claim 1, further including providing at leastone of hay and straw dust that is added to and intermixed with the strawat the first grinder.
 3. The process for creating the organic fuelproduct of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic press exerts a pressure of atleast 22,000 pounds per square inch.
 4. The process for creating theorganic fuel product of claim 1, wherein 58 to 60 percent of the organicfuel product is composed of straw.
 5. The process for creating theorganic fuel product of claim 1, wherein 38 percent of the organic fuelproduct is composed of manure.
 6. The process for creating the organicfuel product of claim 5 wherein the manure is derived from horses. 7.The process for creating the organic fuel product of claim 5, whereinthe manure is derived from cows.
 8. The process for creating the organicfuel product of claim 5, wherein the manure is derived from swine. 9.The process for creating the organic fuel product of claim 5, whereinthe manure is derived from poultry.
 10. The process for creating theorganic fuel product of claim 2, wherein 2 percent of the organic fuelproduct is hay.
 11. The process for creating the organic fuel product ofclaim 2, wherein 2 percent of the organic fuel product is straw dust.12. The process for creating the organic fuel product of claim 1,wherein a configuration of the fuel product is in the form ofcylindrical pellet.
 13. The process for creating the organic fuelproduct of claim 1, wherein a configuration of the fuel product is atleast six inches long, at least two and one half inches wide and atleast three and one half inches high.
 14. The process for creating theorganic fuel product of claim 1, further including, prior to the step ofadding the manure to the second grinder, composting the manure for aperiod of time of at least about one day to forty-five days.
 15. Theprocess for creating the organic fuel product of claim 2, wherein thehay is at least one of hay that is used to feed animals, hay that isused as bedding for animals and hay that is used as mulch.